Then He Left
by Alex20
Summary: Jesse realises what Emma did in No Man Left Behind
1. Then He Left

Then He Left  
  
Summary:  
  
AU diverging after No Man Left Behind  
  
Not totally canon with the story, it is an AU.  
  
Jesse remembers what Emma did, then realises something about the team.  
  
This is an E/J story just not a particularly kind one.  
  
Note:   
  
This is my first attempt at fiction and I would appreciate any constructive comments/criticism that need to be made. Also note that I am from Scotland and use the UK English spelling.  
  
  
  
Prologue:  
  
"You'll never think that way about another person again"  
  
"You don't know now"  
  
The phrases, constantly changing but saying the same things over and over again, distracting him from his work. Nothing else was around to distract him, Brennan and Shalimar were out at some club or something, Emma away at some safe house with Adam. Only he was around, having to repair the Helix again.  
  
"You don't know now"  
  
What didn't he know, the phrase said with Emma's soft voice, the voice held a bit of an edge. He remembered looking at her outside the Helix, when she was being the "psychic watchdog". That was the first phrase, he knew Emma could read him, and he hadn't bothered about it before but now looking back, how much did she read him and was it only reading?  
  
Thinking about it, he decided to check the Helix and Sanctuary logs for the mission to recover the weapon. As he was doing so, he went over the mission, flying in, moving to let Emma talk to Brennan, the other two going off, fixing the Helix, the approaching soldiers, Shalimar hanging over him, everyone getting back, the flight out, phasing the plane, everyone shouting at him. 'Wait a minute, what happened to the approaching soldiers?' he thought. He remembered Emma warning him, getting ready to fight, then that phrase, "you don't know now". What had happened?  
  
He checked the logs, the logs showed him leaving the Helix when Emma called, Adam had left the channel open though. He heard faintly a few words being spoken between himself and Emma, not enough to hear what was said but to know that there was talking, then he saw himself walk into the Helix and tell Adam nothing had happened and got back to work. Nothing looked out of place, no indication of a fight or anything. He replayed the logs, filtering out the video feeds, listening only to the sounds, gradually he filtered out all but his and Emma's voice. He increased the volume. Then as he heard it, the memories flooded back. The shock and horror she had sent out hit him again, soon it was replaced by a growing anger at her.   
  
He was angry, she didn't trust him, she abused his trust, violated his mind. Before it had been innocent reading, a bit of banter from it, but that day he realised that she had no qualms about altering his mind. Would she do this to the others as well, or just him? He sat, his mind racing, the others didn't know or did they, they hadn't been sharing things with him, only telling him what to do. Even Shalimar, his "big sister", was shouting at him in the plane, telling him to fix it, telling him to phase it, sure she was stressed but she knew how things affected him. Was he being too sensitive or was he realising something for the first time.  
  
He constantly strove to attain Adam's approval, Brennan and the others got it without trying, so why was it so hard for him, Shalimar and Brennan always treated him as if he were a child, always telling him what to do and talking like he was their annoying little brother. Emma, the one person he thought would not do anything to him, the one he had been feeling a connection with recently, had openly threatened him about thoughts, thoughts that if she weren't telempathic she would not have heard, and now he found out that she had done something to his mind. His mind reeled, he felt physically sick, emotions he kept bottled inside threatening to overspill out to the outside world, his control shattered as everyone he knew took on a different persona.  
  
Without thinking, without his usual thought process to mass out, he massed, smashing the computer in front of him. It felt good to let it out, he smashed the desk, the chair, pounded huge holes into the wall. Then he collapsed, the emotions fleeing from his body leaving him empty.  
  
Without thinking, he rose, walking away from the wrecked room, uunconsciously phasing through doors as he made his way to his room. Solemnly, he packed his stuff into a bag, he only took a few clothes, the little money he had around, a few books and a picture of the team in happier times. He stopped to look at the picture, remembering when it was taken, then stopped himself from putting it in his bag. He held it in his hand while the other zipped up the bag and hoisted it onto his shoulder.   
  
He walked to the main part of Sanctuary. On the steps to the training platform, he placed the picture, then massed his fist and smashed the glass, the impact point directly over his own face, the glass ripping into the picture. He placed his comm ring down in front of the picture, its unique design fading as it left his finger. He turned and left, stalking off into the night.  
  
The next day:  
  
Adam and Emma returned to Sanctuary, they were met by Brennan and Shalimar, who were asking if Jesse was with them. No one had spoken to him since the previous afternoon. As they entered the Sanctuary, they saw the devastation that Jesse had caused in the lab, their eyes taking in the destroyed computer, the holes and dents in the walls. No one dared to guess what had happened to Jesse.   
  
Shalimar was the first to react, quickly moving out into the rest of Sanctuary, her senses actively looking for Jesse, she followed the scent of him to his room, and saw that his stuff was in disarray, and some of it was missing.   
  
Brennan and Adam moved to another room, to find a computer, hoping to find access to the logs, to see what had happened to Jesse. Adam quickly called up the security logs, silently they watched the young man on screen, who at first seemed normal, quietly thinking, until a frown formed on his face, then all hell broke loose as he went on a rampage of destruction. Then they saw him collapse.  
  
"Adam", Emma's soft voice called, laced with worry and trepidation, "Come to the training platform"  
  
Everyone converged on the platform, Shalimar saying, "His stuff is a mess and some of it is missing, what had happened here?", anger was edging into her voice now, her hands itching to get whoever had done this.  
  
"It was Jesse", Adam stated in a monotone voice, "Jesse caused the damage in the lab"  
  
"Why?" Shalimar asked, "Where is he?"  
  
Before Adam could answer, Emma said, "He's gone", her voice sounding very quiet and lost as she looked at the smashed picture, cradling Jesse's ring in her hands.  
  
Resignation, anger and confusion went through the heads of the Mutant X team, as they looked at the smashed picture, a piece of glass cutting straight through the smiling face of Jesse.  
  
End of Prologue 


	2. Leaving and Falling Apart

Then He Left - Part 1  
  
Part 1: Leaving and Falling Apart  
  
  
Outside:  
  
Jesse left the Sanctuary, 'Sanctuary, what a joke', he thought, once he thought he was safe with the team, then he finds out what had happened. Quickly, he moved out of the hideout, moving towards the nearest highway, moving over and through the surrounding terrain. He phased in and out, not aware he was doing it, his ability manifesting on reflex, not requiring the control he usually had to summon.  
  
After several hours of walking, he eventually found a car willingly to pick him up. A kindly old woman had taken pity on the forlorn figure wandering down the side of the highway. Jesse looked up as the car slowed to a stop next to him, a tinge of fear ran through him, who was stopping and why. When he saw the old woman, who reminded him of the favourite grandmother you always saw in the films beckoning him over, his worry left him.  
  
"Where are you going, young man?" the woman said in a motherly tone.  
  
"Anywhere" came the reply.  
  
"I don't know where that is, but I could help you get to city if you want."  
  
Jesse smiled, the first time he had smiled since remembering, "Sure, if its no trouble"  
  
"Its no trouble, looks like rain anyway, you'd catch your death of cold out here."  
  
The woman opened the passenger door, motioning to him to get in. Jesse complied, saying as he got in, "You know it isn't safe to pick up strangers on the highway?"  
  
The woman laughed, "Maybe, but who is it not safe for?" as she said this she revealed a rather large handgun hidden in the crook of her arm.  
  
Jesse just stared at the incongruous image of the old woman with the large weapon. "Guess you know what you are doing then"  
  
"That's right, son, I knew you weren't going to hurt me, just something you learn as you get older, you seem to have your own problems and don't look like the type to attack an old woman."  
  
Jesse nodded. The old woman started the car going again, driving down the highway towards the city. Jesse looked back briefly, at the life he was leaving behind, a shred of regret ran through him, then the anger rose in him again. Forcing it down, not wanting to lose control in the woman's car, he lent back in the seat and closed his eyes, a dreamless sleep coming to him swiftly as exhaustion overtook him.  
  
  
Sanctuary:  
  
The team was not reacting well to the situation, after finding the picture and ring, worry, anger and a range of emotions began to set in. Shalimar, her instincts to protect, to hunt him down and drag him back, demanding an explanation for what had happened fought against her more human aspects, her worry about him, what had set him off, what he was going to do. She paced round the lounge room they had moved to. Her control of herself pressed to the limit, her constant pacing the only outlet she had at the moment as Brennan and Adam debated over what to do.   
  
Adam was shocked by the turn in events, never once had he envisioned something like this happening to Jesse, the quiet one, the one who people could forget, Brennan was more likely in his opinion to do something like this, possibly Emma if something serious were to happen to her. But not Jesse, even Shalimar in some ways was more likely to do this, even though it would conflict with her feral instincts. Not understanding what had set him off, he listened as Brennan ranted on, Brennan wanted to go after him, drag him back and if necessary beat some sense into him. Adam almost smiled at the image, a turnaround from the initial stages when Brennan had joined the team where people were more likely to do that to him, with his solo, "I know better what to do" attitude.  
  
"We need to understand why this happened first, Brennan" he tried to reason with the younger man, "Jesse would not lose control like that if it wasn't for a good reason."  
  
"Maybe something was affecting him, another mutant, a psionic maybe" Brennan replied, "We should go and get him, so we can identify if there is a threat or not to the rest of us."  
  
"The records don't indicate another mutant in sanctuary at the time of the incident, and maybe bringing him back would only increase the likelihood of this happening again, we need to understand before we can help him and bring him back."  
  
"How do we even find him?" Shalimar interjected to the conversation, her voice edged with impatience with the talking and debating of the two men, she wanted to go do something to help her friend, "In case you forgot, he took off his ring, we can't track him, how will we find him if we wait much longer?"  
  
Brennan looked at Adam, as if to say well come up with an answer to that one.  
  
"Time heals us all, maybe that is all he needs, time, then he will come back on his own", Adam said half-heartedly.  
  
Brennan snorted, "Resorting to clichés now, face it, you don't know what to do and while you spend time thinking about it we could be out looking for Jesse."  
  
Shalimar screamed, not a scream of fear but of anger and frustration, then stalked out of the room, "If you aren't going to do anything, I will, I will find him and bring him back"  
  
"Shalimar, come back" Adam pleaded, "Wait till we know what happened better"  
  
His words feel on deaf ears, Shalimar quickly, running with all her speed out of the Sanctuary, following the faint scent left by Jesse on his exit.  
  
Brennan just looked at Adam, the older man's shoulders slumped as his team fell apart around him, trying to sound hopeful but failing, "Maybe she'll find him and he'll be back sooner than we think"  
  
Adam just looked at him, shaking his head, "Maybe, but we still need to find out what happened"  
  
In an effort to reduce the tension, Brennan agreed, "Yes, why don't we go over the security footage again, try and see if we missed anything, see if something looks out of place, while Shalimar attempts to find our lost boy"  
  
Realising the attempt at a truce, Adam agreed, the two men left the lounge to go to a computer to analyse the security footage, despair and worry evident in their expressions and movement.  
  
All this time, no one had asked Emma about anything, not realising she had been silent the whole time. Emma sat in one of the chairs in the room, the chair Jesse always used, trying to feel for him. Hoping somehow she could connect with him, but each time she tried, a wall of anger and hate blocked her, the only thing was who's anger was it, hers or his. She curled up in the chair, clutching his inactive ring tightly in her hands, remembering him. Slowly she realised what could have set him off, remembering the mission to retrieve the weapon, how she blanked his memory. Unable to think how this was affecting her friend, how the others would react if they found out, she cried silently, for Jesse, for the team and for herself, how she may have lost the trust of the team if they found out and how she lost Jesse, possibly not only his trust but never to see him again. 


	3. Searching and Loss

Then He Left - Part 2  
  
Part 2: Searching and Loss  
  
Shalimar:  
  
Frustration, anger and fear threatened to overwhelm the feral as she stalked out of the room, leaving the arguing men and the silent Emma behind. She heard Adam's feeble plea to her to come back, but she ignored it, nothing was as important as finding Jesse. She could not understand what had happened, one day they were a team, all of them, then this. She could see the effects of this event on the team everything was falling apart. She knew she wasn't helping matters, running off to find him, but what else could she do.  
  
People think ferals are just stronger, faster and a bit better senses, due to their animalistic natures, but Shalimar knew it went further, her senses were not just a bit better, they were far beyond anything a normal human could have. Her sight was unerring accurate, her hearing crystal clear even for the faintest sounds but now more than ever she relied on her sense of smell. To her, smells were tangible, she could smell scents long after the person or subject had left the area, able to gauge where they had gone, how fast, if they were scared or not. Sometimes this ability was a curse, like in the lounge room. She could smell her own anger and frustration; she could smell Brennan's frustration with Adam, his fear for Jesse. Adam smelled of fear and worry, his fear not only for Jesse but also for the team she reasoned, his worry about how Jesse was coping. Emma smelled of guilt, she didn't understand this, why would Emma feel guilty, she hadn't done anything to feel guilt. Right now she didn't care, the smells in the room only fed her anger over no one doing anything to find her young friend.  
  
She approached his room, its uncharacteristic disorder, the unusual emotions she could smell faintly coming from Jesse's lingering scent, confusion, fear, hate and strongest anger. What had happened to cause her good-natured friend, always trying to cheer her up with their friendly banter, to react this way? What had driven him off?  
  
She looked around the room, trying to find any clue to where he was going, but could not see anything. She ran from the room, deciding to following his scent, her abilities rivalling the best bloodhounds, she would find where he went, she would bring him back. Following his scent, she ran from Sanctuary, his scent constantly fading and growing stronger. Shalimar's fear for him grew, replacing her anger at her friends inside, what was causing him to loose his hard-fought control over his phasing, she knew it was dangerous for him, but out here, from what she could tell he had been phasing and massing with no apparent pattern.  
  
Her thoughts distracted her, unconsciously following the scent, dodging trees the scent seemed to go straight through, jumping over crushed logs and stones all the time, as she regained her focus, she willed herself to go faster. The faster she went the sooner she would find him, the sooner she would know he was safe. In her mind, her heart, the only thing that mattered was that he was safe.  
  
The City:  
  
Jesse slept, dreams not invading his rest once, until the car reached the city. Had he been awake, he would have seen the impressive skyline rise up on the horizon, highlighted by the lights in the buildings.  
  
As the car entered the city, the woman in the car shook his shoulder gently, he awoke with a start, causing his seatbelt to pull him back into his seat. The woman chuckled, "Sorry, but I thought you would like to know we are at the city"  
  
"Thanks", he mumbled, rubbing the weariness from his eyes. The earlier emotions had all faded, leaving him numb, his mind attempting to cope with everything that had happened. He wondering which was better, the overwhelming anger and frustration, the feelings of betrayal or the current numbness he felt. Right now, he couldn't care about anything, his only thoughts being how to avoid the team, in case they were looking for him.  
  
"Where can I drop you?" the woman interrupting his thoughts, seeing the obvious change in his demeanour from when she had picked him up. She was worried for the boy, he looked just into his twenties, but to her, he reminded her of her youngest grandson, just as vulnerable, but she knew that this boy she couldn't protect or help. He did not seem the type to suddenly open up to her so she opted for just being helpful while he was with her.  
  
Looking out of the window, Jesse recognised the part of the city they were in, it was one of the warehouse districts on the outskirts. He thought this was a good place to become lost for a few days, while he decided what to do.  
  
"Just here, would be fine" he answered.  
  
"Are you sure, there isn't much round here apart from the warehouses" the old woman asked, a bit surprised by this.  
  
"This will be fine, I know my way about here."  
  
"Okay, if you are sure" the woman said, bringing the car to a stop.  
  
He nodded, reaching round he picked up his bag, and opened the door. As he was stepping out he went into his pocket and took out some money, he attempted to give it to the woman, for any trouble he had put her too.  
  
The woman shook her head, "No, son. You look like you need that more than me, and it was no trouble to me", as if she knew exactly what he was thinking.  
  
"Thank you, I appreciate the lift here" he said, surprised by the woman's generosity towards him.  
  
"Just take care of yourself, young man", she said as he closed the door.  
  
He nodded again to her, and waved as she drove off. He stood there, a lone figure in the street, the large warehouses towering over him. 'Well this is home for a while', he thought to himself as he picked up his bag and walked over the road, going between two of the warehouses. He was hoping to find an older, abandoned warehouse to stay in for a while. To him, it made sense, the more he stayed out of populated areas, away from people, the less chance anyone could recognise him, the less chance the team would find him. He felt exhausted, he didn't know how long he could hide but he could not face the team, not now, maybe not ever.  
  
He continued walking, not fast, just ambling along, for the first time in a long time, he did not have responsibilities or duties, he was free from everything, the sky overhead was cloudy, the rain the old woman had mentioned had not come yet, but it looked as though it would soon.   
  
A gunshot cracked, the sound unmistakeable in the surrounding statement. On instinct, Jesse hit the ground, looking round for the shooter or their victim. Another shot went off, he realised it was coming from back the way he came. Cursing about how things always seemed to happen around New Mutants, he took off running for the road.  
  
Reaching the road, he cautiously looked round for the occurrence. About three hundred yards down the road, he saw the old woman's car, it was stationary, a group of people surrounding it. Running towards the situation, he saw the old woman get dragged from the car by one of the larger men. The man ripped her gun from her hand, throwing it onto the ground. He threw the old woman to the ground. The whole group laughed, as the woman attempted to get up, a young woman in the group kicked her in the stomach, flipping her over onto her back, the old woman curling up into a ball attempting to protect herself.  
  
Jesse's anger grew, his own anger from earlier returning, added to by the scene in front of him, he threw his bag to the side, running as fast as he could towards the group. There were about eight people in the group, but all of them had a slightly drunken sway to their motions, the eyes a bit glassy, he saw this as he approached.  
  
One of the youngest picked up the gun. He fondled it, a wicked gleam forming in his eyes, his sickly voice could clearly be heard, even by Jesse who was still fifty yards away, unnoticed by the malevolent group, "The bitch was going to shoot us, why not return the favour, a bit of poetic justice, you know"  
  
The group laughed as he aimed the gun at the woman. The next gunshot shot was punctuated by the scream of the woman as the bullet ruptured her right knee, the kneecap completely smashed, the bullet passing through ripping the tendons and ligaments to shreds, blood splashed over the woman and the closest members of the group. The group began mocking the woman's screams as she attempted to stop the bleeding in her knee, her face paling to pure whiteness as she realised the depravity of the group.  
  
The scream was a beacon to Jesse, giving him that extra bit of adrenalin, he ran faster than he ever had. Without thought, he phased completely though the outside members of the group, a mere blurry image as the people stood laughing. Another shot went off, this time into the woman's chest, her chest exploded, the shot going straight into her heart, the large calibre bullet leaving now chance of survival, her blood went everywhere, its sticky substance coating the group, a large pool of it forming round the woman.  
  
This broke all of Jesse's control, then as easily as he had phased, he massed out crashing into the gun-toting maniac. The laughter of the group went into stunned silence, as Jesse, fully massed out, impervious to the single shot the man fired at him, went straight into the man, his increased mass propelling the man along with him. The two crashed into a nearby lamppost, the post crashed to the ground, taking both Jesse and the man to the ground. A sickening crunch was heard as the man's spine was crushed, his ribs broken being compressed into his lungs as he was pressed between the post and the massed form of Jesse. Jesse in a full fit of rage didn't hear any of this, he sprung back off the man, turning to face the rest of the group. Rage was plastered across his face, one of the large men charged at him, Jesse phased out, the man crashing straight through him stumbling. Jesse remassed, his fists crashing into the man's lower back. Again a sickening crack was heard as the man's pelvis and lower spine was crushed. The man, unable to hold himself up fell to the ground as he passed out from the pain.  
  
Somewhere in the back of Jesse's mind, he realised that his abilities were on full automatic, coming out on reflex, none of his usual concentration required, the usual limits on his massed out form not applying. Unconsciously he noted all of this, but his conscious mind paid no attention, his rage overwhelming everything, even now, as he saw the woman's body, twisted and broken in death, his rage increased, rational thought was completely expelled from his mind.   
  
The remaining six people looked at the furious Jesse, his form tensed ready for their move, his visage like that of the angel of death, his longish hair and fair skin almost duplicating the old images of angels, but no angel had ever had the look of rage in their eyes like Jesse.  
  
Three of the group took to their heels, running as fast as they could away from the deadly mutant. Grimly, Jesse smiled, not his usual, half-crooked smile, but an evil smile one that only had one meaning. The three remaining people and Jesse stood locked in a bizarre diorama, each watching the others to see who would move first as the running footsteps faded away.  
  
Sanctuary:  
  
Emma screamed as she attempted once again to contact Jesse, his anger, his towering rage forming a wall of fire in her mind as she attempted to touch him. She kept screaming, the fire threatening to overwhelm her defences. Both Adam and Brennan came running into the lounge room as Emma collapsed, her body going limp, slumping into the chair she was in, all tension going from her face, leaving her looking like a lost angel. The only sign of any tension in her was the death-like grip she maintained on Jesse's inactive ring.  
  
Adam and Brennan both ran to her side, trying to check if she was alright and ascertain what had happened. This was how the three were found as Shalimar returned from her search empty-handed, her frustration evident and her anger tangible. 


	4. Not So Tough

Then He Left - Part 3  
  
Part 3: Not So Tough  
  
The City:  
  
The remaining three attackers and Jesse stood, the old woman's broken body on the ground between them, the crippled or dead attackers lying behind Jesse. The two men and a woman looked at the deadly image cut by Jesse, blood from the ground and the crushed gunman covering his clothes, his eyes were both ice and fire at the same time, a calmness only achieved in moments of extreme rage evident.  
  
The three spread out, trying to surround him, for his part Jesse stood there, their movements not affecting his demeanour, together or apart, they would pay from what they had done. His conscience was screaming at the back of his mind, attempting to be heard over his anger, but it screamed in vain, the anger was too great, Jesse was unable to calm down. The attackers drew weapons from various locations on their bodies, the largest man drew a metal pipe from somewhere inside his long coat, the other two people had revealed wicked looking knifes, curved blades about six inches in length, dull metal with a serrated inside edge.  
  
"Lets see how you do now, tough guy?" the man with the pipe said, "lets see how you do against us with the playing field levelled out."  
  
Jesse stood, statue-like, his massed out form impassive, no emotion in his body save his eyes now.  
  
"Yeah, come on, freak", the other man taunted, "lets see what you've got"  
  
Freak, Jesse turned towards the man, his face contorted into a bizarre grin, how he hated that word, how it conjured up images of his past, his abilities always separated him from the life he had wanted, the life his family had planned for him. Freak, who could walk through walls or knock them down, Freak, who was taunted as his abilities emerged. Freak, a plaything for the others, a punching bag in training for Brennan and Shalimar, always coming up short with Adam and a mere toy for Emma to mess with. 'Yes, Freak, I hate that word' he thought, his emotions coming even more pronounced.  
  
The man who had said this started to open his mouth, but no sound emerged as Jesse drove his fist into the man's head, as the man saw the punch coming, he attempted to brace himself for the pain. He was shocked as the fist made no impact, then screamed as Jesse remassed his fist inside pulling it back, dragging the man's eyes out with it. The man's hands flew to his face, no longer a face, where once there were eyes, now a large hole was left, the eyes dangling from Jesse's hand, the hole in the man's face a mockery of the Cyclops of Greek legends. The man collapsed to the ground.  
  
The sight of this spurred the man's comrades into action, the pipe swung into Jesse's back, not moving the massed form of the mutant. The knife did not even knick the surface of his skin, its curved blade sliding off its target. The two attackers did not pause to realise the ineffectiveness of their attack, but kept attempting to bring the young man down.  
  
Although Jesse was unhurt by the attacks, the number of hits coming down on him now began to force him towards a nearby wall. As the three combatants moved closer to it, Jesse had turned to face them, his arms warding off all of their attacks, never attacking back, drawing them closer and closer to him. Letting them force him back towards the wall, he phased in and out, massed in and out, confusing his attackers as sometimes their weapons would reverberate on impact, other times they would hit thin air. Frustration with the situation made their attacks more and more erratic, no longer caring where they hit as long as they hit.  
  
Jesse's face never lost the evil smirk it had gained, he was toying with them, he knew he could stop this at anytime, but he choose to let them continue, his rage making him confident in his abilities.   
  
Now they were at the wall, a smile grew on his attackers faces, the sweat pouring off them as they began to tire from their exertions. They had him trapped now.   
  
"Nowhere to run, whelp" the woman gasped.  
  
The man laughed, "Guess its time to pay the piper, freak"  
  
Jesse smiled, as he reached out and grabbed the collars of their coats, phasing the wall behind him, he stepped backwards straight through dragging them halfway, then the wall became solid again. The two attackers were frozen in shock, the upper halves of their bodies were through the wall, their legs outside. That was how they died with shock on their faces as the now solid wall corrupted their internal organs, and crushed their spines. Their weapons fell to the floor, the only noise to be heard was the dull clunk as they hit the ground.   
  
Sanctuary:  
  
Shalimar watched as Brennan and Adam managed to rouse Emma to consciousness. She flinched as the girl began to scream again. Curse, her ears, the high pitch Emma managed to reach, driving Shalimar out of the lounge, seeking respite from the noise.  
  
Inside the lounge, Adam and Brennan were trying to calm Emma down. Adam was trying to get her to raise her mental shields, but nothing was working. She continued to scream, the fire in her mind burning so brightly, so heated. It threatened to overwhelm her sense of self.   
  
"Emma" Adam shouted over her screaming, "Emma, you must force it back, block it out"  
  
Brennan looked on, unsure how to act, what to do in this situation. He had seen how Emma could be affected by the emotions and thoughts of others but this was beyond anything he had seen. The sheer terror in her eyes, what could be causing it, her hands were clenched so tightly into fists, her nails were drawing blood as they cut into her palms. Unable to turn away, he watched in morbid fascination and horror as his young friend, almost baby sister was tearing herself apart, unable to help and unable to calm her he stepped back to let Adam attempt to help.  
  
Adam could be heard trying to get Emma to calm down, she could faintly hear him somewhere in mind. She could feel his emotions, but they were faint not like the fire, the fire was a pure emotion the strongest she had ever felt, she was disgusted and fearful of it, its constant attempts to overwhelm her totally but at the same time it was so pure, so unadulterated that it held a type of beauty.  
  
The fire began to intensify once more, knowing she had to turn away before it overwhelmed her, Emma tried to force it back, tried to shut it out. As she did so the fire began to recede, her mind slowly becoming her own again.  
  
To the men in the lounge, it was apparent she was starting to come back, her body relaxed slightly, the screams abated, and then suddenly her body tensed again, the screams returning.  
  
The fire blazed again, harder and harder, Emma being pushed further back into her own mind. She was afraid, she tried so hard to push it back, in one final attempt she unleashed all of her strength, all of her power into one last attempt to force back the fire. In her mind, the strength manifested itself like a tidal wave, smashing anything in its path, in all directions it flooded through her mind. As the wave expanded, the fire receded. The fire was now in full retreat. Her body began to relax, her screams once again fell silent.  
  
She opened her eyes slowly, seeing the worried faces of Brennan and Adam before her, "Its gone" was all she could whisper as she lapsed into unconsciousness, exhausted from her efforts. In her mind, the fire was gone, the wave extinguishing it, the energy travelling through her, attempting to fix the damage wrought by the flames.  
  
The City:  
  
Jesse screamed once, then collapsed on the ground, his body convulsing, different parts phasing in and out. Then it stopped, the scene was silent apart from the moans of the crippled man outside and Jesse's near silent breathing as he lay unconscious in the middle of the warehouse, two bodies stuck in the wall looking in fear and shock towards him. Outside, the crippled man attempted to hide from the bodies of his dead friends and the old woman, the gruesomeness of the scene too much for his mind to take in, the wide eyed open stare of the woman and the gaping hole in his friends head, sights that would haunt him forever. 


	5. Pieces

Then He Left - Part 4  
  
Part 4: Pieces  
  
The City:  
  
The unending stares of the man and woman stuck in the wall watched as Jesse was dragged away by a figure cloaked in black. Against the darkness in the warehouse, the only knowledge the person was there was the faint outline and the hands gripping the young man's shoulders as it dragged him further into the warehouse.  
  
Moments earlier, outside:  
  
The crippled man attempted to drag himself away from the dead bodies littering the ground, blood from the bodies had left the ground sticky, his clothes and skin slowly becoming covered in the substance. His fears were only overridden by the pain each movement caused, his hands outstretched attempting to gain purchase on the ground, his legs useless behind him.  
  
Footsteps, he heard footsteps now. He panicked, the man, the freak was coming back. The footsteps came closer, as he listened his fear growing, he realised it was not male footsteps, the sound was not that of a man's step but of a woman's. However this did nothing to calm him, he was still helpless. 'I always thought karma got you in the next life' the man thought to himself.  
  
The footsteps grew closer and closer, the man tried to calm himself but it did not work, the footsteps slowed and stopped. The man became aware of someone standing in front of him. He slowly opened his eyes, black boots greeted his eyes, a woman's boots, as he had already thought, a slight heel to them but not an impractical one, these boots were not fashion accessories by the looks of them. A dark coat surrounded the person he saw as he looked up, going from their neck down to their ankles, hiding the figure completely. A hood was drawn over the figures head, masking any features that should have been visible otherwise.  
  
The man prayed to whatever gods were listening for protection, his mouth moving silently. The figure tipped its head slightly, a small pistol appearing in its right hand. The man's eyes briefly widened, then closed, resigned to his fate. He heard the pistol safety click off, he waited, nothing. He still waited, lying there looking up with eyes closed in front of the dark person, waiting for the final moment.  
  
The figure waited patiently, the man lying there was a pathetic figure, broken in body and spirit. It watched as the man resigned himself to his fate, closing his eyes waiting for that final moment. The figure waited.  
  
The man was worried, why wasn't he dead? Why had that shot not come? Was the figure still there? He reasoned it was, he had not heard the footsteps leaving, hadn't felt the air move as the person left, but then he had not seen that demon appear earlier. His lower back shifted slightly, pain lighting up his mind like a firework. Why not just kill him?  
  
The man opened his eyes, to see if the person was still there. His vision was filled with the black coat of the person, the dull metal of the gun, and then a flash blinded him. Pain filled his body one last time as the bullet entered his forehead leaving a small hole, the back of his head joined the blood on the ground. The man fell to the ground, his eyes open staring into the world, sightless and terrified.  
  
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you", the figure said as it walked into the warehouse.  
  
Sanctuary:  
  
"What happened?" Brennan asked for the fourth time in three minutes, worry and fear tangible in his voice.  
  
Again, Adam shook his head, as he read the displays of the medical devices. "I don't know, psionics like other mutants work differently from normal humans, we don't understand enough about the differences to say for sure at this time."  
  
"Is it something to do with Jesse?"  
  
Both men jumped at the sound of Shalimar, her voice low, almost growling at them. In their hurry to get Emma to the medical bay, they had forgotten where Shalimar was. They looked at the feral mutant, her appearance a marked difference from the usual air of confidence, the usually beautiful woman lost in a mass of cuts, scrapes and bruises, her hair flew around her disorganised, her clothing ripped slightly.  
  
"You didn't find him then?"  
  
"Obviously, no wonder everyone calls you a genius, Adam." She growled back, "I lost his trail at the highway, he must have gotten a lift somewhere. Is this something to do with Jesse?"  
  
Adam flinched visibly at her tone, unused to this reaction for her, even accounting for her feral side. "We, I don't know, she just started screaming, then said, 'Its gone' before passing out."  
  
"What is gone?" Shalimar asked, her voice still threatening, she started to pace the room.  
  
"I don't know", Adam answered, "We will have to wait till she wakes up"  
  
"What about Jesse?" Brennan asked, "We can't do anything for Emma right now, how can we try and find him now?"  
  
"Its not as simple as finding him, we have to know why he ran off?"  
  
"Again with the reasoning, Adam, sometimes people can't be explained by reason. Sometimes things can only be dealt with after you confront them. I want him back, back here safe, he should not be out there himself, what if something happens to him?" Shalimar said, her pacing becoming frantic as worry for Jesse grew, her frustration at not finding him breaking through.  
  
"Shalimar, to drag him back without knowing why he left would be foolish and could cause even more of a.." Adam tried to say before Shalimar growled at him, her eyes flashing yellow.  
  
"Shal" Brennan gently touch her shoulder and said softly, "Lets go get you cleaned up before these cuts get infected, come on, we are not helping anyone here"  
  
Shalimar looked as though she was about to argue, but she knew she wouldn't be able to help Jesse or Emma if she became sick, so she acquiesced. She stalked out towards her room, grabbing a first aid kit from the shelf as she left. Brennan moved to follow, but Adam stopped him and said, "Thank you"  
  
"It wasn't for you" Brennan replied, his voice ice cold, "I did not want her to do something she would regret later."   
  
With that he left to help Shalimar. Adam turned round and sat in the seat next to Emma's bed. He leant back, his eyes closed, "I hope to God, Emma, I hope that you will be able to help us figure out what is going on. Help us figure it out before everything falls apart."  
  
Sanctuary Computer:  
  
News Scan Results:  
  
Item 1:  
Summary: Possible Mutant Activity  
  
'Two hours ago, eight bodies were found in the warehouse district. The scene appears to be a gang-related car-jacking incident. A woman, estimated to be in her 70's was shot twice, and several gang members were left for dead. One gang member was crushed between a lamp post and an unknown mass, the gun used to shoot the woman crushed into his body. Other gang members had unusual injuries as well as two members being lodged in a nearby wall, their bodies halfway through the wall. One gang member appears to have been executed after the attack by a small calibre handgun. The police believe there may be a series of revenge attacks in the near future in response.'  
  
Item 2:  
Summary: Multiple Suicides  
  
'Today, three soldiers involved in pacifying operations against the rebel army in Kovakhstan have committed suicide. Each soldier left a letter to family, the contents of which are as yet unknown, and proceeded to commit suicide in the exact same manner. The soldiers served in the same unit for a number of years and were known to be stable individuals, confirmed by army medical reports on each soldier. Details of their deaths are being withheld until the investigation has been concluded.'  
  
The computer filed these reports into the appropriate categories, marking them for the Mutant X team to read and decide if action was necessary. The computer returned to its usual operation, the news messages blinking on and off for attention. None was forthcoming as yet, the team fractured and collapsing on itself. 


	6. Dreams

Then He Left - Part 5  
  
Part 5: Dreams  
  
Emma:  
  
In her head, her dreams played out. Her dreams were of Jesse, but these were no dreams they were nightmares, horrible parodies of the life they had shared as part of the team. Before the dreams with Jesse had a soothing effect on her, similar to the man himself in the waking world, but now he was gone and her dreams turned on her.  
  
She was standing in the alley, the first night she met Shalimar and Jesse, when Jesse massed in front of her to protect her from the bullets. This time felt different, Shalimar was still there, still doing the same thing, but Jesse moved in front of her, she relaxed as she thought everything was okay, then Jesse phased, the bullets passing through him. Three bullets in quick succession punctured her chest, her lungs filling with blood, suffocating her, her heart ruptured. Jesse turned to face her as she fell to the ground, shock evident on her face.  
  
"I should have let them kill you", he said before vanishing into the night.  
  
She tried to scream, but only blood came forth, she tried to wake up, this was her dream, why could she not leave?  
  
Then the scene changed, another fight against rogue mutants. Shalimar and Brennan were embroiled in battles of their own, Jesse massing in front of her, protecting her as she used her mental abilities, like some many times in real life, working together smoothly. She felt the calm roll over her as Jesse blocked energy and bullets from hitting her. As he calmly dealt with assailants who got to close when she was distracted. Then he phased, he stopped protecting her. Shocked, she didn't even see the large feral charging through him, crashing into her. Then it went black.  
  
The light hurt her eyes as she woke, unsure where she was. Then Adam's face floated into view above her, "Emma, can you hear me?"  
  
"Yes", her voice cracked, her throat dry and unused.  
  
"Emma, how do you feel?"  
  
"I feel, I feel," her eyes widened in panic, "I can't feel my legs, Adam, I can't feel my legs"  
  
"I'm sorry, Emma, I tried to repair the damage, but you are paralysed from the waist down. The mutant severed part.."  
  
She didn't hear him, her legs were useless, her mind reeled, this was a dream, it had to be a dream, she couldn't tell any more. Jesse would not let this happen to her, he wouldn't, he couldn't. It just was not in him to do this. Or at least it never was before, before Kovakhstan. She must be dreaming, must be dreaming, the words going over and over in her head, like if she thought it enough times it would become true.  
  
Then everything changed again, but this time it was different, everything was new. This wasn't a memory, this was something else. She was in a warehouse, she was lying on the ground, a gun held to her head, a hand holding her hair, forcing her to watch the scene in front of her. She could not make out the words, but she could hear the screams, feel the emotions.   
  
Lying on the ground, a mere ten yards away was the broken body of Brennan, the wise-cracking mutant twisted at an awkward angle, his spine hanging out of his body, the blood pooling around him, his lifeless eyes watching the scene in front of him. Adam was screaming at someone to stop it, he was trapped, his hands phased into the metal walkway above him, his feet a clear two feet off the ground. He pleaded for the person to stop. She could see the anguish in his face, feel the pain he was going through as she took in the final pair in the warehouse.   
  
In front of her, Shalimar was on her knees screaming, it hurt Emma to see the proud woman driven to such a state, tears running down her face, as she begged for the pain to stop. No mercy was shown as a new scream ripped from her throat, Emma saw Jesse standing in front of her, he was different, colder, she could not feel him any more. He looked different, his hair cut short, his eyes no longer warm and caring, but cold, calculating as he stood there, his body massed out but his hand phased into Shalimar's chest, crushing her heart, ripping her lungs apart slowly. He seemed oblivious to the screams, the pleas around him focusing only on the pain.  
  
"How does it feel?" the woman holding her down asked, "How does it feel to know you created the killer you see now? You caused this, you and you alone, how does it feel to have the blood on your hands?"  
  
Then the screams stopped, Shalimar slumped to the floor, dead at Jesse's feet. He looked up towards Emma, and smiled, "That was for you"  
  
She screamed, screamed louder and longer than ever before, the banshee itself would have covered it ears, then nothing.  
  
She lurched up from the bed, screaming. Three people ran into the room. Brennan and Adam immediately tried to calm her down. She stopped screaming, touching the bed, feeling the emotions of those around her, she reached out for Brennan, feeling the pulse in the wrist of the hand that gently pushed her back to the bed. Shalimar came closer, her eyes clouded with worry. The young empathy reached out, touching her face.   
  
Her voice sounded so quiet in the room, "Is this real?"  
  
The others looked at each other in confusion.  
  
The City:  
  
The figure had taken Jesse to a large mansion on the opposite side of the city. Several staff from the house had met the car as it drove up to the house. Gently, they lifted the young mutant from the car onto a waiting stretcher. At their mistress' behest, they took him to her chambers.   
  
Two of the staff remained with the young man, charged with the task of cleaning him up, checking he had no injuries before letting him rest until the mistress wanted him. Working quietly and efficiently, the two women removed his clothing, scrubbing the blood from his body, amazed that for the state he was in that none of the blood was his. No cuts could be found on him at all, no bruising. They marvelled at the young man who lay before them untouched by the violence they knew he had been involved in. Both knew however that no all wounds are visible, some are hidden, some are not ever going to heal. Dressing the man in a set of jogging trousers, they gently laid him onto the bed. He had not woken, not stirred once during this whole time.  
  
The two women left taking the bloody clothes with them as their mistress entered, she thanked them as they left. She quietly closed the door behind them.Shedding her dark cloak, placing the gun into a small safe, she sat in a chair beside the bed. The curtains were drawn but a slight shaft of moonlight illuminated the young man's face, in sleep he appeared so young, so innocent. She smoothed his hair gently, brushing it away from his face. She drew the covers up, placing them around his shoulders, tucking him in like he was a small child.  
  
"Sleep now, my young man, sleep," she said, her soft voice barely audible in the darkened room, "Sleep for tomorrow is a new day for us"  
  
She sat back in her chair, contentedly watching the man sleeping in her bed, a small smile playing on her lips. 


	7. Watching

Then He Left - Part 6  
  
Part 6: Watching  
  
The Room:  
  
Sitting in the darkest corner of the room, the woman watched the young man lying on her bed. Her thoughts whirled in her mind about what she had seen. He had been magnificent, he had torn through the gang like they were nothing, admittedly they were high and he took them by surprise but the potential in him. She could mould him to her needs. He would be hers. He needed training, physically and mentally she needed him at his peak.   
  
After she had brought him home, she had done a search on the young man, "Jesse Kilmartin" his ID had said, trying to find out whom she was dealing with.  
  
The information she found startled her, he was part of the renegade 'Mutant X' that had been operating in secret. She read the information various organisations had gathered, viewed clips of fights and operations that had clandestinely been gathered. She watched, her mind going into overdrive, this was good, but what had changed him, his fighting in the video was very martial arts, with similar moves to the more graceful members of the team, she wondered why he attempted to copy them. With his abilities, he should have stuck to a more brutal, simplistic style. She read about his past, which even the intelligence agencies had very little on. She almost laughed out loud when she realised that the team thought they were being a lot more secretive than they were. The leader, this Adam, would probably have died if he knew how much information was available about the team.  
  
She had seen his actions, his motions during the incident, she knew something had happened to him but she didn't know what, she wondered why he had left his team the ring on his finger so visible in the videos with the light reflecting of it, conspicuous in its absence from his finger now. She shut down the unit she was viewing and set it down on the floor next to her as she heard the man moving.  
  
From her relative obscurity she watched as the man's eyes opened. She saw him blink several times then he practically leapt out of the bed. She saw him look round the room, he didn't even register her sitting in the darkness of the corner as he scanned round the room. It was obvious he was trying to think where he was, how he got there.  
  
Jesse:  
  
He leapt out of the bed, unsure where he was, he looked round the room, trying to identify his surroundings, it wasn't Sanctuary or any building he was familiar with. It was a bedroom, a woman's bedroom if he was any judge. It was faintly reminiscent of Emma's room, he flinched at the comparison, unwillingly to think more about it. The room was darker in décor but was feminine at the same time, a dark cloak hanging on an door, functional boots of the floor nearby. Nothing screamed out to him as dangerous, but he was worried, how had someone got him here? Had he come here on his own free will? Would he remember if he had? His mind was confused, he was finding it hard to think straight, his emotions were too much for him to control.  
  
Still looking around, he noticed himself in the mirror, the clothes he had been wearing were gone, nowhere to be seen in the room, a pair of dark jogging trousers replacing them. He ran his hand through his hair, he had been cleaned, he felt cleaner than before. He stumbled as the images of the fight came to him. The sheer horror of what he did almost knocked him off his feet. He saw in his mind as he ripped the eyes out of the man. He saw the light in another's eyes die as he was crushed under his massed form. He fell to one knee, unable to believe that he had committed such acts. The sheer brutality of it, the maliciousness that he felt, he still felt it, but also remorse, the opposite poles of emotions pulling at him. He saw the old woman lying broken on the ground, his heart in his throat at the image of the woman gunshots ripping her form apart. The rising anger came back, the fight went into fast forward as he saw it all again. Then the pain, he remembered the pain in his head then nothing. The next thing he remembered was waking up here.  
  
He looked back in the mirror, he saw in the mirror a different man, a man who had killed. He watched in rapt fascination as a tear worked its way down his cheek, then another, the emotions on his face incongruous with this action. All at the same time he felt angry, sad, horrified, scared and strangely free.  
  
The woman:  
  
The woman watched, fascinating by the sight before her, the emotions playing across his face as he knelt on the floor. His thoughts almost tangible as the tears worked down his face, this was more like the man she had seen in the videos. So vulnerable, so open. She knew that he would be the one she needed, she had seen his anger drive him but this side of him, this side of him would allow her access to him, access she could use to mould and control him. He looked like he was broken, torn between everything in his life. She would offer him a safe haven, a way to regain a life, a life with her. Her thoughts brought a wry smile to her face, her plans were falling into place now, soon she would be ready.  
  
For almost half an hour the two sat in the room, unmoving, one horrified by the vision in the mirror, the other watching in rapt fascination. Then he moved, he slowly rose, he shoulders slumped as though the weight of the world was upon them. He looked round the room again, as he turned to the old wooden door that served as an entrance to the room. She watched as slowly he moved towards it, his hand reached for the handle. As his hand touched the handle, she spoke.  
  
Jesse:  
  
"I do wish you would not leave quite so soon, young man" a soft, cultured voice cut through the air.  
  
He paused, wondering where the voice had come from. He turned to see a woman emerge from the shadows of the room. He stumbled back into the door, how had she gotten in, was she here all the time?  
  
The woman:  
  
As she approached him, her eyes took in his scared expression, inwardly she laughed, "He is scared of me, how delightful" fully knowing that if he tried to escape she would be unable to stop the young mutant.  
  
"Don't be afraid" she spoke in a soothing voice as she stepped in the centre of the room. She held out a hand to him, beckoning him to come to her. "I'm not going to hurt you"  
  
The man was so confused, the emotions in him so turbulent, the images of the fight so foremost in his mind, he blindly obeyed, taking some comfort in the woman's soft voice. Her eyes never leaving him as he cautiously walked forward. She grasped his hand, leading him to the bed, sitting him down with her next to him.  
  
"Do you remember what happened?"  
  
He nodded numbly, the tears shining in his eyes, his voice quiet, "yes, I killed them, all of them, I could not stop"  
  
The tears fell freely now, his voice fading off as she watched his lips moving, saying everything and nothing unable to accept what had happened.  
  
"You tried to save the old woman, who was she? Your grandmother?" she asked innocently, one hand smoothing his hair away from his face.  
  
She saw him inhale as her hand passed over his face, knowing that her faint perfume would only add to the calming effect she was having.  
  
Jesse:  
  
'Her perfume, so faint, yet so tantalising, sweet without being sickly.' He thought as he inhaled the scent, revelling in the simple kindness she was showing him, how could she be so calm about him? He was a killer, a monster to be hated.  
  
"No, I didn't know her" he answered.  
  
"Yet you still tried to save her"  
  
"I didn't manage it, I was too slow, it was my fault, she wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for me" the tears had intensified, he realised he was right if it hadn't been for him, she probably would not have been in the position to be killed.  
  
The woman:  
  
She watched as the tears returned in force, listening to the man berate himself about the happening of the previous day. She gently gathered him into her arms, drawing him towards her as she rocked him back and forth, whispering to him, getting him to calm down, building an initial connection with him, a connection she would need later.  
  
"Everything will be okay, I'm going to help you, we will get through this, we can fix it, we will fix everything" she whispered to him, knowing that in a short time, the man she held would be hers, totally and completely, willing to die for her, willing to kill for her. Jesse just clung to her, unwilling to let go of the source of comfort he so badly needed.  
  
Sanctuary:  
  
"Adam" Brennan shouted from the main computer console, panic in his voice, "we have a problem, a serious problem" 


	8. Rogue

Then He Left - Part 7  
  
Part 7: Rogue  
  
Sanctuary:  
  
The report stood out on screen, glaring at him, his attention drawn to the descriptions of the people stuck in the wall. Other than himself, only Brennan had seen this, he did not want to believe, Brennan didn't want to believe it. Grimly the two men looked at each other.   
  
Silence reigned in the intervening moments before Brennan finally said, "It may not be him"  
  
Adam nodded, but looked unconvinced, "The ability used, its not quite unique, but I don't know of another new mutant within two hundred miles who possesses it. We need to check the locations of the other mutants, but the crushing death as well, the mix of the two abilities, cuts down the list dramatically."  
  
"What if it was not a mutant? What if this is a new weapon, or an accident that happened?" Brennan was clutching at straws, unwilling to believe his young friend could be responsible for such carnage, but after seeing the security footage from Sanctuary, he was not sure any more.  
  
"Its possible, I need to do some checking, make discreet inquiries to some of my contacts, a few years back the military was experimenting with wave-based weaponry for building attacks, maybe this is similar to the Pushka H5B7 situation we faced." Adam was trying to sound hopeful, but somewhere inside him he knew, he knew it was Jesse.  
  
"We need to check it out, we need to see where this happened" Brennan was itching to do something, all this standing about was killing him.  
  
"Yes, but I think we should let the others rest, Shalimar is exhausted, this is taxing on her, Jesse was special to her, I don't know how she will react to this and Emma, well you've seen what is happening to Emma. I just wish I knew why it was. I'll start enquiries with my contacts, you check out the scene, just look for anything unusual." Adam spoke, his mind starting to reason out all the possibilities in his head, he disliked keeping the others in the dark but he needed to be sure of the facts before he said anything, he could see this eating away at Brennan. It horrified himself, but he dreaded to think how Shalimar would react, the feral woman was fiercely protective of Jesse, and how would she react if they had to hunt him down?   
  
Seeing Adam fall into thinking, Brennan knew he was of no use here, he left, reasoning the sooner he could prove Jesse's innocence, the sooner he could bring him home. Doubts were forming in his mind, Brennan had often wondered what would happen if one of them lost control, what would happen if one of them did go rogue? His nightmares sometimes were filled with these images, some where he went mad, where he reacted with such hate that he turned on his team, visions of his friends writhing in agony as he pushed electricity into their bodies, their blackened corpses lying on the ground. Others were of them having to hunt down each other, some where Shalimar was the prey, seeing the blonde fighting them with all her feline grace and agility or Emma with her terrifying ability to influence emotions and people. Jesse was the one he thought would not have gone rogue, the young man seemed to be the most dedicated, the most stable of the team, even Adam seemed more likely to have such a dramatic change of heart. These thoughts and others went through Brennan's mind as he drove into the city.   
  
Emma:  
  
'Was this real?' The question played over and over in her mind, her dreams haunted her, visions playing in front of her, scared to sleep in case she never woke up. There had been times before when her abilities caused such nightmares, but never with such intensity, never had they scared her like this. Maybe it was the subject, maybe it was because it was Jesse. He was kind and gentle, soothing to her, even though she could be cruel in her teasing, a faint smile formed remembering the emotions she felt from him outside the Helix as he watched her. Other men had thought similar things, but they only saw her body, they didn't have anything else in their minds, admittedly the feelings Jesse had that day were physical but she knew he respected her, he could see past her body, able to talk to her, but did he respect her now? Had he indeed remembered what had happened?  
  
Her powers were growing, her abilities scared her, she didn't know how they could affect people in the long term, the situation that day was the first time, if Jesse reacted like this what happened to the soldiers, or was this the mind wipe which caused this? She had done it on instinct, the need to protect herself, not wanting to loose the place where she was accepted. How could the others trust her if they knew what had happened, what could happen?  
  
Lying on the bed, clutching at the covers someone had placed over her, she tried to relax, her mind in turmoil, the emotions in Sanctuary forcing their way into her, she could feel the worry they all had, the loss they felt, it added to her own. Shalimar gave of such vibrant emotions, she couldn't be ignored and her sense of loss was amplified, her feral abilities magnifying the emotions making them even harder to control.  
  
The mood from Adam and Brennan was full of worry, but was now giving way to something else, something had happened. She knew Brennan was leaving to do something, a sense of purpose forming in him, Adam was deep in introspection, as he tended to be in such crisis. What had happened now? Was it to do with Jesse? Was he okay?  
  
Panic rose in her, her breathing becoming erratic, what had she caused to happen? How long could she hide her actions from the others?  
  
Shalimar:  
  
She paced the room, nervous energy running through her, she flung herself on her bed trying to calm down only to get back up and continue pacing. She did this constantly, her protective side was out in full force, the sweet young man she missed was somewhere beyond her reach. Something had happened to drive him away, away from Sanctuary, away from her. She always thought that they could face anything, even before the others had arrived, her and Jesse were a team. She knew she mothered him at times, other times teased him mercilessly but the idea that he was gone was something she couldn't handle. She had to get him back, for so long he was part of her life, a stabilising force, Adam gave her direction, but Jesse was there to help her through.  
  
Her pacing increased, she tried to think what could have happened, why had he left? The questions repeated over and over again, no answers came to her. She wanted to go, go and find him, track him down and bring him home. He should be here safe where she can watch over him, he hadn't lived in the world she had, he was still naïve, out there so many people would want to take advantage of him. She cursed Adam and his damned tendency to think everything through, if he put that mind to work finding Jesse instead of figuring out why he left, he would probably be home or at least they would be a lot closer to retrieving him.  
  
Her sensitive hearing heard a strained conversation between Adam and Brennan over something, she couldn't make out the words but the tones in use indicated it was not good. She heard Emma's breathing become erratic as Brennan left. What was happening now? She stalked out of her room to confront Adam for answers, if something had happened she should have been told.  
  
The House:  
  
"Is he asleep?" a man asked.  
  
"Yes, he is asleep again, the poor boy, so exhausted, I don't know if it is his emotional trauma or the excessive use of his abilities that caused it." The woman's soft voice replied.  
  
"If it is his abilities, will this not affect your ideas, mistress?" the man asked, worry in his voice, fearing the reply.  
  
"No, my training for him should deal with that, I have him now and he will never get away, I always get what I want, remember that" she replied curtly.  
  
The man nodded, bowing slightly to his mistress, "As always, mistress, you are right"  
  
"Now go, prepare some food, I think my young man will awaken soon, I have to go to him." She dismissed the man, moving back into the room, smiling as she watched the sleeping form on the bed.  
  
'You are mine, mine to do with as I please, and you will give me anything, and you will do it willingly for me and only me' her thoughts echoed in her head as she reached out to touch the young mutant. 


	9. Warmth

Then He Left - Part 8  
  
Part 8: Warmth  
  
The glass in the window whined quietly as the cutter made its incision. Gently, two sets of hands removed the glass, leaving a hole large enough to reach through and release the catch. The window swung inside, brushing against the closed curtains, two figures wearing grey and black clothes crept inside, positioning themselves on either side of the window as they closed it over quietly.  
  
The slight breeze through the hole in the window shifted the curtain slightly, allowing them to see the legs of someone on the bed under the covers. Using one hand, the smaller figure signalled to its colleague to move into the room. The other figure crouched, a pistol drawn with a laser sight on top, the other figure a sub-machine gun with sight held with both hands swept the room as they moved into it. The room was in darkness, the figures wearing light enhancing goggles to see clearly in the gloom. Sweeping the room, looking at the bed, one cursed, his hand signal indicating the intended target was missing. The two looked at the bed, an unfamiliar man lying in the bed.  
  
"Looking for me" a woman's voice called out.  
  
The two figures swung round, as the lights flared on and an alarm went off. The figures dropped their weapons, attempting to remove their goggles, the light burning through their closed eyelids, the siren of the alarm wailing in the room and all through the house. Metal shutters were heard closing behind them over the window.  
  
"Guess so"  
  
Jesse was brought to his senses abruptly, his training from Mutant X coming to the fore, as he quickly assessed the scene. He saw two figures in what looked like military gear carrying firearms, knifes and explosives, the figures were frantically trying to remove their eye-coverings. Somewhere in Jesse's mind, the goggles were recognised as light-amplifiers. He saw the woman from earlier standing near the door, her hand leaving an alarm switch, moving towards a small box on top of her dresser.  
  
He saw the figures had removed their goggles now, and were bringing their weapons up to bear on the woman, still trying to reach the box. He leapt from the bed, massing as he landed in front of the woman as she reached the box. The alarms still sounded, footsteps could be heard running through the house. The two figures opened fire, the bullets impacting on Jesse's massed form. The number of impacts began to force him back, the figures advancing. Again Jesse's mind recognised the advance tactics, first one then the other, not letting up the stream of fire on him. The woman behind him finally got the box open, a small pistol inside. She drew the pistol, checking the clip was correct. He heard the pistol safety go off even with all the noise around him. Then he saw the muzzle flash as the woman fired over this shoulder at the standing target with the sub-machine gun. The bullet struck the figure dead centre of the chest, the figure stumbled backwards, their weapon falling silent.  
  
Seeing the figures were wearing bullet-proof clothing now, Jesse took advantage of the letup in fire to move forward. With only one pistol firing at him, the massed form of the man moved forward. Again, somewhere in his mind he wondered at how he was holding this form for so long, but right now it didn't matter. All that matter was protecting the woman, the attacker she had shot had pulled themselves back up, he could see stiffness in their movements, possibly cracked ribs there, he thought. He surged forward getting to within a foot of the figures before he was struck with the sub-machine fire again, he grunted at the close range onslaught. Then it let up again as the figure spun, the next shot from the woman had passed straight through his shoulder, blood spurting out over the room as the figure did a bizarre pirouette on its way to the floor, one arm useless now. Jesse reached the other shooter, his massed fist flew towards the head of the figure. The figure nimbly dodged the fist, bringing its knee up into the attackers gut. On any ordinary assailant this would have worked, but on the massed form of Jesse, the figure screamed as its knee shattered on the impact. Jesse took advantage of the opening to knock the figure out with a simple punch, before moving on to repeat the action on the other attacker.  
  
The threat gone, Jesse reverted to his normal form, collapsing to his knees. The exertion of the past few days had left he completely exhausted working on pure adrenaline and will power alone. The woman rushed to his side, the gun hidden somewhere on her, but he couldn't see it. She gathered him into her arms, thanking him for his actions. The door to the room burst open.   
  
In poured three very welled armed individuals, two men and a woman. The woman carrying a pair of silvery looking pistols, with them drawn looking for threats, directed the men towards the downed figures. The two men moved towards the figures, both carrying shotguns, keeping them trained on the inert figures. Kicking the guns away from the figures' hands the two men bound the attackers, removing all weapons and equipments from them.  
  
"Are you alright, ma'am?" the woman with the guns asked.  
  
The woman with Jesse answered, "Yes, I'm fine now, what took you so long?"  
  
"The alarm system was tampered with, we could not pinpoint the origin of the alarm."  
  
"If it hadn't been for this young man, I would be dead" indicating the shivering Jesse in her arms.  
  
"Yes, ma'am, of course, it is no excuse for our ineptitude." The woman looked distraught at her failure.  
  
"Deal with them, I don't want the police involved"  
  
"The usual channels, mistress?"  
  
"Yes"  
  
The woman indicated to the two men, who hoisted a figure each over their shoulders and filed out the room.  
  
"Miss, there is someone wanting to see you" the woman said, as a voice came over the radio attached to her shoulder.  
  
"Has everything been secured?"  
  
The woman barked out a few commands over her radio, and listened to the responses. After a minute, she said, "Everything secure and intruders dealt with"  
  
The woman on the floor carefully rose, bringing Jesse with her, "Tell Frederick to bring her through"  
  
The woman nodded and left, taking the pile of weapons on the floor with her.   
  
The original woman stayed, helping the unresponsive Jesse to the bed, she gently pushed him down on the bed. 'He doesn't like violence, he uses it but it eats at him' she thought as she considered the reactions the young man had to the scenarios he had been faced with. She had seen how he berated himself over killing the gang members, how he had fallen after saving her just moments ago.  
  
She watched him stare at her, his eyes so confused, the colours in them misted over with a myriad of emotions. He opened his mouth to speak, she leaned forward to hear him but he closed it with no sound coming forth. She gently held his hand, the process of building up his trust would be slow, but worth it in the end, already he risked his life for her and soon he would always do so.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door and then a voice, "Mistress, you have a visitor."  
  
"Send her in, Frederick, thank you"  
  
The door opened, and a small figure ran into the room, jumping into the waiting arms of the woman.  
  
"Mummy, Mummy, did the bad men hurt you?" the little girl asked, with all the seriousness and worry a child could muster.  
  
Jesse watched as the woman gently held the small child, who could be no more than four years old, in her arms. She reassured the child she was fine, the men didn't hurt her. The child squirmed round in her arms to face Jesse, he saw that she was very young, with pale skin, big blue eyes and brown hair. She looked like a little storybook fairy, he thought, smiling as best he could at her, not wanting to scare the child.  
  
"Who's that?" she asked, pointing at him, her eyes big and open, with the curiosity on a child has.  
  
"That's Jesse, he saved me from the bad men."  
  
The little girl launched herself at Jesse, her small frame landing on him, her arms wrapped around his neck, thanking him for saving her mother. He smiled in wonder at the actions of the little girl, the simple actions she showed bringing warmth he hadn't felt in days to his heart. He looked up at the woman watching her daughter, seeing the love in her eyes that she had for her daughter, as she saw him staring he smiled at her, and was happy to see her smile back at him.  
  
She let go as suddenly as she had jumped onto him and climbed back into her mother's arms.  
  
"Is he my daddy?" she asked, looking at Jesse as if trying to see herself in him. 


End file.
